Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Sanofi-Aventis SA failed to block two
generic drug manufacturers from selling a copy of the cancer
drug Taxotere in Australia, with a federal court judge refusing
to bar the sale of the generics.

Judge Jayne Jagot yesterday denied Sanofi’s request for an
injunction, clearing the way for Hospira Inc. and Interpharma
Ltd. to sell their copies as soon as a patent on Taxotere’s main
ingredient docetaxel expires Feb. 6.

Taxotere accounts for 95 percent of Sanofi cancer drug
sales in Australia, according to the judge, who wrote “the lost
sales represent substantial sums of money.” Sanofi, based in
Paris, can be compensated for the lost sales if it’s able to
convince a judge at trial that its patent has been infringed,
Jagot ruled.